


Blood Of The Holy

by Bazuffy



Category: Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Super, Dragon Ball Z
Genre: Angels, Demons, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-02-23 09:07:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23775814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bazuffy/pseuds/Bazuffy
Summary: Goku touches something he shouldn’t when doing chores with Vegeta on Beerus’s Planet, throwing them millions of years in the past. They land directly in the centre of an Angel/Demon war that has been fought for centuries. They must find their way home, without being killed in the process.
Comments: 30
Kudos: 36





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So i decided to do some writing now that we are all stuck in isolation. I love writing, but between working and general life I always found an excuse not to. Im extremely rusty, but i hope you like this anyway! 
> 
> I love the angels in DBS so much and i crave more lore for them, so I made some! 
> 
> I also learned today that the Oracle Fish is a girl, when I thought it was a guy!

Angels were not permitted to feel emotion. From an early age they were mercilessly trained not to feel anything, and to align to neither good nor evil, but to remain neutral at all times. You see, emotions can make an angel dangerous; an uncontrollable force of holy energy.

But right now, at this second in time, he felt indeed.

He knelt by the lifeless, bloodied body of his love, his wife, and was consumed by unbearable anguish.

As she bled unto him, tears of sorrow fell unto her. As her halo broke apart and faded before his eyes, his heart began to pound with ferocious hatred, and with every breath the fire within him grew wild and untameable.

The shrill laughter of the horned creature standing above them ceased suddenly. The demon's eyes narrowed as he felt the power of the kneeling angel before him growing hundreds - no, thousands of times.

With a sickening CRACK the halo that rested around his neck lurched backwards, shining vividly in its new position behind his head. He got slowly to his feet, his eyes blazing.

“You will pay for this.” The angel snarled darkly, and an intense white light engulfed him.

-TWO WEEKS EARLIER-

“But we’ve done everything on the damn list!” Vegeta fumed, throwing the paper to the ground.

“Sorry,” The Oracle Fish shrugged, “But I’m under strict orders for you to do chores until they get back from their meeting.”

“But they’ve been gone ages!” Goku whined.

“Hmm...” The Fish pondered, wondering what other menial tasks she could give them. “The fiftieth floor hasn’t been cleaned in years! It’s definitely due a good dusting.”

The Saiyans huffed in annoyance, grumbling as they walked away. The Fish rubbed her chin as she watched them. She was sure someone had told her something about that floor…

She shrugged and decided it didn’t matter. If it was so important, she would have remembered. 

——

A gigantic ebony door came into view as the men descended the stone steps. Strange red symbols patterned the floor below them, faded and cracked with age. The air around the door seemed to shift as they approached. Something felt off - eerie somehow.

Goku looked over at Vegeta, who obviously felt the same, the smaller Saiyan’s brow was furrowed, his jaw clenched. Goku opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted.

“Let’s just get this over with.” Vegeta grunted in annoyance.

They placed their hands on the door and pushed but, defiantly, it didn’t budge an inch. They pushed harder and harder until they were heaving with all their force.

“What’s with this door?” Goku strained through clenched teeth.

The door gave a long loud creaking groan as it slowly opened and Vegeta smiled smugly, until he was hit in the face by a wall of dust. 

“It’s like this door has never been opened.” Goku coughed, fanning away the dust with his hand.

The smaller Saiyan felt a shiver run down his spine as he shielded his face from the dirt. His instincts were screaming to him that this wasn’t right, that they shouldn’t be here. Goku obviously didn’t share these instinct, however. He casually strolled through the gap.

“Wait Kakarot, don’t just walk in blindly! That’s how you get...” Vegeta trailed off as he entered the room.

The doors opened into one enormous room. Small windows were scattered unevenly around the walls, covered in a thick layer of dirt. Rays of light struggled through the thinner layers, spotlighting weakly onto the floor. But it was the energy in this room that took his words away. Even Goku, who was curious and confident by nature, had stopped in his tracks. 

They had never once felt anything like it before, it was almost suffocating. It stung their senses and caused their stomachs to lurch uncomfortably. Whatever or whoever the energy flowed from, they were strong. Powerful and vicious.

Goku’s eyes darted around the room quickly, though he had to squint as he adjusted to the darkness. “I don’t sense anyone.”

A sense of familiarity came over Vegeta as he scanned the room. Several glass cases of various sizes and shapes lined its walls. It reminded him of his father’s war trophy hall, which he vaguely remembered from back before Frieza destroyed his planet.

Goku stepped toward a case and carefully rubbed away the layers of dirt to peer inside. Inside was a staff, standing propped up. It looked similar to the staffs that he'd seen the angels carry, except this one looked more like a spear; sharp and curved to a point at the tip.

Pressing his face right up against the glass, he squinted. Engraved along the entire length of the weapon were symbols that looked similar to those painted around the huge doorway.

“What is this room?” He wondered aloud, taking his face away from the glass.

The intense energy had eased but was still very present. It seemed to loom over them, like a predator watching from a distance.

“It’s a trophy room.” Vegeta answered quietly, and blew the dust from another case.

He grimaced in disgust at the odd object placed in the box. Whatever it was, it seemed organic. Long, crooked and twisting - possibly a tail or a sword, as far as he could tell, ripped at the bottom and with dry blood caking the edges. He was certain it had been torn directly from someone’s body.

They traveled further into the room, passing more dirty cases, and the feeling that they should leave grew. Something was warning them to go back, but neither could walk away. The strange energy - the angry and volatile power - it called to their curiosity, far too fascinating to turn from, urging them to keep moving forward, until something caught their eye.

Along the back wall stood three sets of armour.

The first set looked to be a woman’s. It was slim, scuffed and well-worn, but most noticably it had a gaping hole through the middle of the chest piece. Although battered, the armor seemed to be the only clean item in this room; strangely, not a speck of dirt lay on its metal plating.

The next was taller, in a more masculine style. It looked like claws and teeth had ripped through the plating. Whoever had worn this must have fought some kind of beast and, judging by the battered state of the armor, likely lost.

And the last…

This was most certainly ground zero of where the frightening energy was erupting from.

The third suit of armour looked like a bomb had blown up inside of it. It was miraculous that it was even holding any kind of shape at all. 

——

“I hate those meetings.” Beerus grumbled as he and his angel landed back on their planet.

“Well, maybe if you worked better with Shin and didn’t sleep so much, you wouldn’t get treated so poorly, hm?” Whis retorted.

“We just saved all of those assholes in the tournament of power! You'd think we would get some credit for that.” Beerus threw his hands up in a tantrum.

Whis ignored his toddler of a God and called out for the Oracle Fish.

“What the hell was with the Grand Priest today, by the way? He was way scarier than usual!” Beerus shuddered.

“Unfortunate timing.” Whis answered shortly.

“You have something up your butt too, apparently!” Beerus frowned, looking up at his guide.

Just for a second, the cat caught the tiniest bit of pain behind the angel’s eyes, and something clicked into place in his head.

“Oh, shit. This month, it’s the anniversary of...” He caught himself before he said any more. “I’m sorry.”

Whis shook his head. “Let’s just find our Saiyans, shall we?”

——

Goku took a step towards the armor, but Vegeta grabbed his arm. 

“What the hell are you doing?”

“I just want a closer look! Have you ever felt an energy like this?” Goku countered.

The Prince sighed, letting go of the younger man’s arm. “Just be careful!”

“Don’t you trust me?” Goku pouted.

“NO!”

——

Whis and Beerus looked at the Oracle in utter disbelief.

“Is that a joke? Because it’s not funny.” Whis frowned.

“Of course it’s a joke! Even she’s not that stupid… Right?” Beerus asked, looking towards the Fish.

“What are you getting so worked up over? I don’t remember that floor ever being cleaned! It was way overdue a dusting.” She shrugged.

“For good reason!” Beerus angrily yelled back.

“How many times do we need to tell you, that floor is forbidden.” Whis seethed, rubbing at his temples.

“I don’t remember you telling me that.” The Oracle shrugged.

“So many times, he’s told you so many times.” Beerus argued.

“Let’s just go and get them.” Whis lifted his staff.

“I mean, there’s no way they can even get in that room, right? The Grand Priest made those Enochian symbols himself.” The God pressed his palm to his guide's back.

“It’s been millions of years. It’s more than likely the symbols have been broken by now.” Whis replied as stoically as he could, pushing down the panic rising in his chest. The angel tapped the ground with his staff and in seconds they were standing in front of the forbidden doors, which stood partially open.

“Oh god.” Beerus groaned, rubbing his hands over his face.

Whis swallowed the lump in his throat and knelt down. The symbols of the ward had been broken by a massive crack in the stone, possibly made by one of his God's temper tantrums. Beerus had been warned, and even through he was arrogant and rarely did what he was asked, he would always listen when things got serious, especially when he learned what was held in that room. 

But this was his own fault. He had been told by his father to keep checking, to make sure the ward was kept strong. He had gotten lazy. What with being caught up in training the Saiyans and keeping an eye on his cat, he hadn’t even thought about it.

The angel stormed past Beerus who was peeking into the room. “Yeah, you go ahead, I’ll catch up.” He spoke quietly, not moving from his spot. The energy made his fur stand on end. This was the first time he had seen the inside of the room. He didn’t like it, not one bit.

As Goku leaned in closer to the armour, something under the cracked collar shone, catching his attention. He reached out, so carefully, he wouldn’t break it. The curiosity burning beneath his skin possessed him, he needed to know more.

“Goku! Vegeta! Come away from there at once!” The angel demanded.

Vegeta jolted back on hearing Whis, but Goku's arm was still moving slowly towards the dusty metal. Vegeta reached for his shoulder to pull him away.

Goku's finger traced the armour just as Vegeta grabbed his shoulder and, with a flash of light, both men disappeared without a trace.

——


	2. Into the Battlefield

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As we don’t know the GP’s actual name yet, I’ve had to give him one in this, as well as his friend and a couple of other angels I’ve added into the story. I’ve kept to the shows alcohol them as best I can. I will add the meanings and where I got the names at the end of the chapter.

Vegeta groaned as he awakened, his body aching, head throbbing dully. The last thing he remembered was grabbing Kakarot’s shoulder, and then he was engulfed by a searing white light before hitting the ground, hard.

All around him booming explosions shook the earth. Fire roared, growing stronger and more ferocious as it tore through buildings with ease. Screams of terror and agony pierced the air and were suddenly silenced, giving way to menacing laughter. 

He looked up at the blackened sky, thick with the smoke that billowed from the burning structures around them. Ash fell gently from the blazing sky to delicately blanket the bodies that lay lifeless on the ground.

The Prince's stomach turned. He had grown up as a pawn, a soldier with the Frieza force. This scenario was more than familiar; it looked and felt just like his childhood. The echoing explosions, the chorus of screaming innocents that still haunted him, even now. This was a war zone.

A pained gasp from behind caught him off guard.

“Huh...’’ Goku mumbled in a confused haze, clutching his tender right shoulder as he got to his feet, “Where are we?” He asked as he looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings.

“What did you do?” Vegeta fumed at his rival. He was absolutely, one hundred percent certain this was his fault somehow.

Goku rubbed the back of his head as he thought back to that strange, alluring light that had just begged him to touch it. “Looks like touching that crazy armour teleported us somewhere.”

“You touched it?” Vegeta seethed. “I told you to be careful!” 

“I was, I didn’t break it!” Goku insisted.

“You had no idea what it would do and you touched it? We could have been killed! We could be anywhere!”

Goku pressed his fingers to his forehead, trying to search for Piccolo – Gohan – anyone… Nothing. He furrowed his brows and concentrated on a bigger target, Beerus, and still nothing.

“I can’t sense anyone.” Goku shook his head.

“Could we be in another universe?” Vegeta wondered, looking around.

The Saiyans turned at the sound of a shrill scream to see a petite alien woman running out of the haze of smoke and directly at them as fast as her shaking legs could carry her. Her long ears had been singed, and tears streamed from her large amber eyes.

Before she could reach them, a dark figure leapt from the flames and forced her to the ground. Thin horns poked out from the creature’s unkempt hair, and crooked teeth protruded from its mouth, framing its narrow face. His red eyes burned and his thin black tail flicked in anticipation as he pulled the small girl’s head back with one clawed hand.

“Please!” she sobbed.

“That’s right,” the monster cooed, “Cry. Beg. It makes killing you so much sweeter.” He traced a claw lightly over her neck.

“Why are you doing this?” Her voice quivered.

“For fun.” He said simply, and his eyes blazed as he raised his hand to strike.

His cruel laughter filled her ears and she tensed and closed her eyes, preparing herself for the agony to come. But instead of piercing pain, she felt herself being pulled away. She opened her eyes to find a strange looking fellow with tall black hair carefully lifting her to her feet.

“Are you hurt?” Asked the stranger.

She shook her head, unable to form any words as her whole body trembled.

The long thin creature snarled at Goku, who was holding its wrist firmly. “Interfering mortals,” it spat, “Wait your turn, filthy insect!”

Goku tightened his hold and the creature hissed in pain as the bones in its wrist crunched. Before it could react, Goku pulled the monster down and threw his leg up to forcefully knee it in the stomach. The monster coughed and wheezed as it bent over clutching its abdomen. Releasing his grip, Goku smashed his fist into its jaw before a heavy kick to the creature’s chest sent it crashing through a blazing building. 

Vegeta’s eyes narrowed in a scowl. The creature looked familiar...

“Were you sent from Servo?” The alien girl asked, looking up at the two men.

They both looked at her blankly. “I have no idea what that is.” Goku said dumbly and glanced at the Prince, who merely shrugged.

A large building toppled down from somewhere behind, shaking the area around them.

“It isn’t safe here. We must leave!” she urged.

——

They flew low under the blanket of smog that rose from the smouldering city. Above the dark smoke they could hear the unmistakable sounds of fighting, even over the noise of roaring fire and falling buildings. They had decided that the best course of action would be to get this girl to safety, and then they could try to figure out their own pressing matter. 

Goku was carrying the alien girl, who was weeping at the sight of her once beautiful city, now completely ravaged and hollow.

“What happened here?” Vegeta asked the girl quietly as they flew, not wanting to gain any unwanted attention.

“Our city… Our world…” She sniffed, “It was so beautiful. So peaceful, until they came.”

“Those monsters?” Goku turned his head to look at her.

She nodded, “Demons.”

“Demons?” The smaller Saiyan repeated in shock.

“Haven’t we fought a demon before?” Goku rubbed his chin with his free hand. “Daba… Dubu...”  
The name was on the tip of his tongue.

“Dabura.” Vegeta’s fists clenched. That was why the creature had looked so familiar.

“Your people are fighting them?” 

The small alien shook her head. “Our race is a peace-loving people. We do not fight, and we couldn’t anyway, not against such power.”

“Then what do they want?” Vegeta asked, his eyebrows drawn into a scowl.

“I’ve heard them called ‘planet eaters’. They go from planet to planet, devouring and destroying all life until it’s nothing but a barren wasteland, before moving on to the next. We were sure we were done for, until the men with the shining rings came and fought them back.”

Goku and Vegeta shared a serious look. It couldn’t be...

An enormous blast from above shook the frail buildings below. A figure breached the black smog, falling towards them at blinding speed. Vegeta just barely managed to dodge, but even as Goku tried to swerve, the figure connected heavily, smashing into his already fragile shoulder. A white hot pain tore through him and he instinctively lifted his other hand up to it. The alien girl could only gasp as she began to plummet downwards...

Vegeta raced to catch her, cursing his rival internally and only just managing to catch her in time. The figure that had crashed into Goku hit the ground so hard that the impact crushed the rock below, throwing dirt and rubble up into the air.

“I’m so sorry!” Goku apologised as he landed beside Vegeta and the girl.

“It’s alright. I’m ok.” She smiled politely as she tried to ignore her shaking legs.

They could hear voices just ahead. Panicked shouts of ‘Hurry!’ and ‘Don’t look back!’ occasionally rose above the din of the crowd.

The girl sighed in relief. “Some are still alive.”

“Kakarot,” Vegeta called to his rival, “Look.”

The dust had settled around the fallen figure, who lay motionless before them. His armour looked similar to the sets they had seen in the trophy hall. The helmet had cracked to reveal one side of his face, blood dripping from his mouth and down his pale skin, his vacant eyes seeming to stare back at them. The halo around the angel’s neck had been torn through, and as they watched, blue specks of light rose from it like dust, before dimming and dissipating completely.

They both stared in silence as the wind blew and buildings continued to fall around them, the sounds of shouting and running fading into the distance.

Vegeta clenched his fists. This made absolutely no sense; Whis had told them countless times that angels weren’t permitted to fight, no matter the reason. They were too powerful. And yet here an angel lay before them, beaten, broken and lifeless. What the hell kind of creature could have done this?

Beside him, Goku found himself wondering why the sight bothered him so much. He had seen death countless times, and yes it always stung, but this felt different. Nothing had ever shaken him to his core like this before. Maybe it was the idea that something up there above them, unseen and unfelt, had ripped through a race that neither him nor Vegeta could even touch.

A nasty snigger from a shadowed alley snapped them out of their trance.

“Go and join your people.” Vegeta spoke seriously, not taking his eyes from the shadows.

The girl nodded and whispered a hurried, “Thank you,” before darting off in the direction that the shouting had come from.

“Well, well,” taunted a familiar voice, laughing darkly.

The same crooked-toothed demon that Goku had beaten sauntered out from the darkness, joined by another, much bulkier demon. This one’s skin was vivid red, and pink scales freckled its skin like armour. It had small horns, just poking out from underneath its thin hair. Behind him swung a huge tail, plated at the end almost like a mace.

“A gift from heaven itself.” The large creature cackled as it walked over to the angel’s body, ignoring the Saiyans entirely.

“Did you do this?” Vegeta growled.

The thin demon laughed. “These are the mortals I told you about!” He said, careful to stay behind his larger comrade, who finally seemed to notice Goku and Vegeta standing only meters away.

“It isn’t my job to fight these freaks.” The monster snarled. It knelt down and picked up the angels body. “This is a gift from our father and brothers who fight above.”

It slid a sharp claw across the angels neck and blood poured from the wound, dripping down the Demon’s hand. He flashed them a crazed grin before his forked tongue darted out to lap at the blood. As he drank, his ember-coloured eyes turned to blazing silver, and power built around him, enveloping him in an incredibly menacing aura.

“But with this gift - this power - I’m more than a match for you.” It threw the body to the crooked-toothed demon standing behind, who wasted no time feasting on the body.

Before Goku or Vegeta could react, the large demon launched forward with thunderous speed and pivoted quickly, slamming his tail into Vegeta's chest and sending him flying back. Goku jumped to kick but it dodged easily, grabbed his leg in its massive hands and slammed him into the dirt. Before he could even think about getting up, it again smashed its tail into the Saiyan, knocking him through a collapsing wall.

It laughed tauntingly as Goku got to his feet, bricks falling around him, and wiped the blood from his mouth.

“I’m impressed.” It sneered. “You’re still conscious.”

This creature was on another level to the smaller demon he had battled earlier. Goku smirked, he felt his blood pump faster with the excitement of facing a powerful foe. This monster was strong and he wanted to see more. 

“You’ll have to hit me a lot harder than that if you want to kill me.” Goku locked eyes with the creature and the air around him grew faster as his hair turned a shining gold, his eyes bright blue.

Goku drove a heavy fist into the monster’s gut but it merely stood and smiled, unflinching. Setting himself to the task, the Saiyan delivered a blitz of punches to the hefty creature.

Mirroring his rival, Vegeta transformed as well to join Goku, attacking the demon in an uncoordinated barrage of fists. 

“Pathetic,” it taunted, forcing them back without lifting a finger. “It’s been a while since any mortal has actually had enough spine to fight back. I forgot how utterly weak you are.” 

“Weak?” Vegeta spat angrily.

He tensed and exploded with power as a glow shone over his body, his golden hair giving way to blue. The demon stopped laughing as it took in this new energy flowing from its feeble prey. It was no longer that of a mortal.

The smaller creature looked up from the angel’s corpse, licking the blood from his lips as he watched. It sensed the strange energy erupting from the man. It made his body jerk and his tail twitch with nervousness.

“What are y--” The hefty demon stopped. A bolt of white light shot straight through its eyes, exploding out from the back of his skull, and it fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

“Shit, they’re here!” The smaller one screeched. It moved to run and suddenly slumped over with a spear thrust through its chest.

Goku was abruptly thrown to the floor, all the air left his lungs as a plated boot stomped on his chest, pinning him. Vegeta spun to help his rival, but halted when the tip of a sharp bloody spear was held to his neck.

“Don’t move,” warned the figure’s deep voice.

Vegeta swallowed a gasp as he looked upon the halo shining brightly around his neck, and that armour... Back in the trophy hall, the third set, the one that the frightening energy emanated from. It may have been broken and barely held any shape when they saw it, but with the distinctive colours and the plating, there was no mistaking it. This angel was wearing that armour, except it fit his form perfectly and didn’t have a scratch on it.

Even though his face was hidden beneath his metal headpiece, Vegeta was sure he could feel the angel’s heated glare.

“For God’s sake, Vinum, do you have to be so suspicious all the time?” Huffed another, taller angel as he flew down to land elegantly beside them. He casually pushed the spear away from Vegeta’s neck and tapped his companion’s leg, urging him to release Goku.

“Maybe you're not suspicious enough, Monshi.” Vinum quipped, ignoring his friend and keeping the Saiyan pinned to the ground.

“Do they look like demons to you?” Monshi asked sarcastically, putting a hand on his hip.

The smaller angel glared at him for a while before finally relenting. “Tch.” He eased off and stepped back, folding his arms.

Vegeta watched them closely. He was sure that the taller angel was clad in the second armour set, the one that had been ripped to pieces, but like the other it shone brightly, unblemished. 

“I’m sorry about my small, angry friend.” Monshi apologised brightly from under his helmet, holding out his hand to help the downed man up.

Goku happily took it without a second thought. “It’s ok. I’m used to that with Vegeta, here.”

Vegeta grunted and turned away in response.

“Man, I can’t breathe under this thing.” Monshi lifted his head and unclipped the buckle, slipping off his helmet. His short hair spiked up white, his skin was pale purple and his eyes silver with a hint of green.

“Is it wise to take that off in the middle of battle?” Vinum shook his head.

“What battle? We drove off the demons, and that Knight fled with his tail between his legs.”

Goku looked up. The sky was beginning to clear as raindrops pattered down lightly around them, the booming sounds of battle gone, leaving a thick silence.

“I’ve had this suffocating helmet on for twenty four hours straight now and I want it off! You can’t tell me you’re not uncomfortable under there!” Monshi crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows. 

Vinum sighed and unbuckled his own helmet, making his friend smile victoriously. Vegeta had never seen an angel act like this, almost human-like. Whis had his moments, yes, but those were usually brief and always involved food.

The smaller angel removed his helmet and brushed a hand through his white, slicked-back hair.

Vegeta’s eyes widened in astonishment.

“Grand Priest?” Goku gasped.

——

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vinum - Wine in Latin.
> 
> Monshi- Shortened/mixed version of Moonshine.


	3. Your War

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Dabura isn’t the ‘Demon King’ in this but this will be explained later in the story!
> 
> Hope you enjoy!
> 
> (Quick strong language warning going forward)

Both of the angels looked at Goku like he had just grown a second head, before Monshi burst out laughing.

"Him?" He wheezed through laughter, "Did you hit your head?"

"But- You're…" Goku paused, utterly confused. "Don't you recognise us?"

Vinum shrugged. "Should I?"

Goku looked back at Vegeta, who shared the same baffled expression.

"Can you please stop. It's not that funny!" Vinum huffed at his friend who was trying and failing to hide his snicker.

"Look, you're my best friend, and I love you like a brother, but trust me when I tell you, there's no way you will ever be able to handle Zeno." Monshi cackled.

"Why the hell not?" Vinum fumed.

"Well look at you, you're not exactly the most patient angel in the realm, are you?"

"What's going on? That's him, right?" Goku whispered to Vegeta, while the two angels argued amongst themselves.

"I… I don't know."

Vegeta's thoughts swam in circles. He was certain this Vinum was the Grand Priest that they knew. This angel looked physically identical, except… His eyes seemed brighter, shining with hope: not the sceptical, battle-hardened eyes that Vegeta remembered from the tournament. And his halo was around his neck, just like Whis, not behind his head. It was almost as if he was looking at a younger version of the Grand Priest.

Realisation hit him like a punch to the gut.

"Let's just agree to disagree." Monshi raised his hands, trying to defuse the argument.

Vinum shook his head, unable to hide the small smile on his lips, until he caught sight of the body behind his tall friend. His face fell dark. Monshi followed his gaze and his shoulders slumped, the smile dying on his lips.

"I think we should stick with the angels for now. We need to learn where we are before anything else." Vegeta spoke to his rival quietly.

"Well, why don't we just ask them?" Goku spun on his heel to ask, but stopped when he saw them kneeling by the body. He watched as Vinum gently removed what was left of the helmet and closed the fallen soldier's eyes.

"Listen to me, Kakarot. I have an idea of where we could be." Vegeta's frown deepened even more than usual, "I'll explain when we're somewhere more private, but for now, just trust me. And for the love of god don't say anything stupid."

Goku simply nodded in reply, not understanding, but sensing Vegeta's seriousness.

Vegeta knew the idea was preposterous and stupid, and he was still half expecting to wake up any second. But if he was right, they needed to be incredibly careful. All evidence said that they were in the past. It was the only way he could explain why they were seeing what appeared to be the armour from the trophy room, but in its peak form, and also why the Grand Priest didn't recognise them.

When they had gone into the future to fight Black, Whis had warned them that the simplest mistake could have disastrous consequences. He could only imagine how much worse that could be in the past. He would have to explain to Kakarot later; he couldn't risk the angels overhearing. But he had a horrible feeling they had already messed something up by calling Vinum by his future title.

"I only spoke to him this morning. He told me he was afraid. And I..." Monshi's voice was quiet, but he was frowning, his hands were balled into fists, "I told him he'd be fine, that we'd have their backs!" He punched the ground in anguish as the guilt twisted painfully in his stomach.

"You couldn't have known Espec was going to be here. You can't watch everyone while you're fighting." Vinum tried to comfort his friend the best he could. "Don't you dare blame yourself for this."

"I know. It's just-" He ran his plated hand through his hair, "We're losing more angels every day. Most of the ones who are left now aren't even fighters."

Vinum looked at the young fallen soldier laid before him and sighed. "At least they left enough this time to actually send back home."

"Did the demons do this to your friend?" Goku asked sadly as he walked up behind them.

"Yes, but not the same kind as what you were fighting." Vinum explained. "A demon class that we call 'Knights' did this."

"Even so, I'm surprised how well you coped against this one." Monshi said as he got back to his feet and dusted himself off. "Mortals are usually no match for them, especially once they've been powered up by blood." Monshi turned to the downed creature, turning its head with his foot.

"They get stronger from drinking blood?" Vegeta rejoined the conversation.

"Not just any blood." Monshi shook his head, his mouth twisted into a sour expression. "When a demon drinks the blood of an angel, they receive immense power, although only for a short while. And the more they drink, the more they crave it."

"Most of the time we don't even find enough left to send back home." Vinum clenched his fist.

"That's awful." Goku frowned.

Vegeta stayed silent. He knew war; it was nothing but death and tragedy. Earth had faced its share of peril, but nothing came close to the true horrors he had seen. He felt truly lucky to be away from that hell.

"The power we felt from the pair of you – you're strong. We could really use all the help we could get to stop these monsters." Monshi looked at them hopefully.

"We're not interested in joining your war. We just want to get home." Vegeta said bluntly. He hadn't meant for it to sound as harsh as it came out, but this situation was dredging up old memories he'd hoped to leave buried forever.

"And where exactly is that?" Vinum asked, eyeing the saiyans with an air of suspicion, "Because you don't look like the people of this planet, and you're stronger than any mortal we've come across here."

"We're from a planet called Earth. But it seems like we're stranded here for now." Goku rubbed his aching shoulder.

Monshi looked at Vinum and rubbed his chin. "Ever heard of that planet?"

"No."

"What about the Seers back at base? They might be able to help!" He suggested.

"Yeah, maybe." Vinum shrugged.

"Why would you help us? We've only just met." Vegeta asked warily.

"Because, as much as we would appreciate your help, I can understand why you'd rather not be in a war zone. Given the choice, I certainly wouldn't be here." Monshi replied, his voice low and pained. "I'd give anything for things to go back to normal, so that I can return home."

————

"I'm sorry, father." Said the hulking demon as it knelt, its eyes cast reverently down at the immaculate marble floor.

The demon he addressed was short and slender, dressed in a spotless black suit, and long horns spiked out from his messy black hair. His polished dress shoes clacked on the floor as he paced the room, glancing occasionally over to the kneeling demon, who was desperately trying not to seem nervous. The warm light that bounced from the lit braziers and off the red walls seemed to die in the coldness of the suited demon's pitch black eyes. Finally he stopped, sneering as he looked down upon the pathetic creature.

"Tell me!" He roared, making the creature flinch. "Tell me you at least brought the body back with you, when you fled like a fucking coward!"

The demon was shaking, and his gulp was audible. He opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't seem to find the words.

"Well?" He snapped, his tail twitching in frustration.

The demon cringed again. "I-I'm sorry," he managed to say in a desperate whimper.

Suddenly the bulky demon found himself being flung back against the wall, and before he could think his father was on him, a hand clamped around his neck, holding him pinned against the wall. He grabbed at his neck, gasping for air, but his father was unmoving. Despite his diminutive size, the suited demon managed to look down on him, his merciless black eyes filled with disdain.

"You're a Knight!" He snarled, "You're not supposed to piss yourself and run away like a feeble child!"

He saw that the demon was trying to respond, so he released his grip, letting him drop to his knees, gasping for air.

"You made us look weak!" He raged as his underling struggled to catch its breath.

"But-" He coughed and cleared his sore throat, "Their General and Colonel were there."

His father grabbed his horns and dragged him up so they were eye to eye. "I don't give a shit who was there." He seethed, "I shared my power with you so you could take care of those disgusting freaks."

"I won't fail you again, father. Please, give me another chance." The bulky demon begged.

"The next time I give you an order, Espec, don't come back until it's done, or I'll kill you myself." The smaller demon adjusted his cuffs and smoothed down his suit jacket. "Are we clear?"

Espec nodded, eyes wide. "Yes, father."

"Good." He said without mirth, and he tossed the shaking creature aside and stormed out of the room.

A man was waiting for him just outside the door. He was hunched with age, and his cracked glasses hung precariously on the end of his crooked nose, his beady eyes almost hidden behind thin stringy hair. He wiped his sticky red hands on his apron, which was already filthy with mysterious stains.

"So, what now?" He asked, rubbing his grimy mottled hands together impatiently, "We can't move forward with the experiment until we have that body, King Arcus."

"I know that!" The King snapped. Taking a deep breath, he fished his pocket watch from the inner lining of his jacket and sighed. "If you want something done right, do it yourself."

"But… They'll have taken it back to their base by now." The old man gaped at him, "Surely you're not going there?"

"Not while the Grand Priestess and her two guard dogs are around. I don't have a death wish." He squared his jaw and slipped the watch back into his jacket pocket. "Send word to our friend over at Servo. I want that body."


	4. Welcome to Servo

The saiyans followed the two angels to another war torn city, a couple hours from the last - or so they thought.

Their hair stood on end as they passed through an unseen wall of energy, the pure force prickling at their skin and heightening their senses. As they reached the other side of the barrier, they gasped in disbelief.

The energy was an invisible force field, shielding what could almost have been a city by itself. A tall watchtower loomed behind them, connected to others by a high wall that stretched around the perimeter, all the way off into the distance. In contrast to the world just outside, the buildings here stood tall and proud, and perfectly intact.

They walked down what appeared to be the main street; a wide road that led straight through the center of the city. All around them, the air buzzed with energy as aliens of all shapes and sizes bustled about their daily lives.

The four of them paused to let a training squadron jog by, angels and aliens alike wearing loose shirts and combat pants, sweating from their arduous training. Each of them gave a breathless salute to Vinum and Monshi, while the troop’s sergeant nodded to them as he passed.

Monshi nodded back, and then beamed at the saiyans. “Welcome to Servo, boys.”

“What is this place?” Goku asked, looking around in wonder.

“We found this city abandoned and in complete ruin. We reformed it into our main base on this planet.” Vinum explained.

“Let’s see if we can find a Seer to help you while we hand in our reports.” Monshi squinted, his eyes scanning the crowded streets.

Vinum’s brows drew together as he nodded in agreement. “I imagine the Grand Priestess will be getting impatient by now. We are a tad late.”

“Ah, we’re only twelve hours over schedule, I’m sure she’s not that worried.” Monshi replied sarcastically.

Goku shot Vegeta a questioning look at the mention of a ‘Grand Priestess’, but Vegeta shook his head subtly, warning him to keep his mouth shut. They passed an enormous white-bricked building with a huge blue cross painted above its entrance. Outside the doors, a group of soldiers stood idly chatting, still partly armoured. One of them spotted Vinum and Monshi.

“General! Colonel.” He called out as he half-jogged over to his superiors.

What armour the soldiers had left was scuffed or broken, where it was missing they were instead covered by bruises or bandages, but despite their obvious injuries they seemed to be in high spirits.

“We were worried when we didn’t see you on the way back to base.” The soldier said quietly.

“Ah, we got held up.” Monshi replied, shrugging his shoulders with an apologetic expression.

“You kicked that Knight’s ass today!” Another member of the group called out as they all moved forward to crowd around.

“Yeah, I’ve never seen a demon look so scared.” Another of the soldiers admitted, and they all laughed and jeered.

“Everyone did a fantastic job out there.” Vinum said diplomatically, “How are your injuries?”

“Ah, it’s just a scratch, sir. Nothing we can't walk off.” An alien soldier held up his bandaged fist.

“Did you happen to find Jyn?” asked the first soldier, “We saw him get hit pretty hard by that Knight before you chased the fucker away.”

Monshi lowered his head and swallowed. Seeing his friend’s expression, Vinum cleared his throat and took a step forward.

“I’m sorry,” he said solemnly, “Jyn didn’t make it.”

The laughter stopped immediately, the soldiers’ faces suddenly twisted into anger, sadness, or disbelief.

“But we got to him before the demons could…” Vinum trailed off, trying to find the right word, “Finish. We teleported him here, so you can pay your respects before he’s sent home, if you wish.”

A thick, uncomfortable silence fell over them all as they all struggled to absorb the information.

“Well…” A small alien soldier finally broke the silence, his voice quiet and melancholy, “We’re glad you were with us, sirs. The Knight showing up really took us by surprise.”

Vinum nodded once, before the first soldier blessedly spoke up, saving him from having to say anything more, “Oh, Colonel, Inthium was looking for you, sir. She’s at the hospital.”

“Ah, Inthium. Perfect!” Monshi seemed to perk up a little bit at hearing the name.

“Well in that case, we should get going.” Vinum said, and the soldiers gave a salute as their superiors made to leave, with the two dark-haired strangers in tow. Vinum felt bad for ruining their good mood, but it was better that they learn the news from him than from someone else.

“I’ll be right back.” Monshi said quickly and turned in the direction of the hospital.

“Seriously?” Vinum huffed in annoyance, “Can’t you wait?”

“Trust me, it isn’t like that.” Monshi retorted and flashed his signature grin, then turned again and almost skipped inside.

Goku sat down to rest on a patch of pink grass near to the entrance. After a short while, Vegeta reluctantly joined him. They wouldn’t admit it, but they were both incredibly tired. And it was no wonder, Vegeta thought, after they had possibly travelled through time, then almost immediately had to battle a demon powered-up by angel blood, and not to mention the dangerous amounts of smoke they had inhaled from all of the burning buildings.

They sat there for some time in amicable silence, glad for the excuse to rest.

Vinum, who had been leaning against the wall just by the hospital doors, walked over to sit opposite the saiyans and started to loosen off his armour a little. “We may be waiting here for some time, I’m afraid.”

Goku shrugged and grinned. “I don’t mind, this place is awesome.” He was watching the soldiers training in the distance, effortlessly pulling off their hundredth handstand push up as a synchronised group.

“How long have you been fighting demons?” Vegeta asked the clearly frustrated General.

Vinum breathed deeply before he answered. “Angels have been fighting demons forever, but this particular war has been going on for a few centuries. The demons escaped their own realm and started to devour the peace and life in this one.” He shook his head sadly.

“Centuries?” Goku echoed in surprise, turning towards the angel, then winced as pain lanced through his injured shoulder from the sudden movement.

Vinum frowned slightly, but said nothing as he got to his feet and walked over to kneel in front of the younger man. Goku watched in wonder and slight apprehension as the angel closed his eyes in concentration and his hands began to glow with a warm orange light. The saiyan couldn’t help but flinch as those hands were placed carefully on his shoulder, but the tension soon left him as a pleasant warmth started to spread to the area, the agony fading with each passing second. He let out a breath he hadn’t realised he was holding.

“Wow! Thanks, Gra-- um, Vinum.” He quickly corrected himself.

“I can’t imagine how hard it must be to fight a war for hundreds of years.” Vegeta muttered. The mental and physical strain that would put on somebody would be immense, he thought, mortal or otherwise. To him, twenty years of it had seemed bad enough.

“Before this war I took peace for granted, truth be told. I’ve missed so much.” Vinum replied, his eyes downcast as he turned away from the Saiyans. “I missed the birth of my son while I was on the battlefield.”

Vegeta didn’t need to see his face to know that he was pained by the memory.

“Your son? You mean Whis?” Goku piped up helpfully, and Vegeta felt his blood run cold as he watched Vinum visibly tense at his words. He felt the overwhelming instinct to run, but he was frozen to the spot.

The angel turned back to them with a deep frown on his face, one eyebrow raised suspiciously.

“No. Whis is one of my older children.” He spoke slowly. He was staring at them intensely, a thousand questions visible in his eyes, “How do you--”

“Here they are! These are the mortals I was telling you about.” Monshi’s enthusiastic voice cut in from behind them. Vegeta turned to face him, grateful for the interruption.

Monshi had his arm slung over the shoulder of a slim female angel, with purple hair pulled back into a low ponytail. She wore a pale blue robe that matched her halo perfectly, held closed by a lilac sash tied around the waist.

Still tired, the saiyans forced themselves to their feet in an effort to be polite.

“This is Goku and Vegeta.” Monshi introduced them, and the woman’s smile widened, her delicate features bright and sincere, green eyes twinkling with an infectious cheerfulness. Vegeta almost smiled back at her before he caught himself.

“It’s nice to meet you. My name is Inthium.” She said with a bow, “I’ve heard you could use my help finding your way home.”

Goku nodded, beaming back at her.

“Inthium is one of our best Seers. We’ll leave you in her capable hands.” Monshi said with a grin, completely oblivious to any sort of tension between the three men. “When you’re all done, she’ll show you to your quarters, and we’ll come find you in the morning.”

“We appreciate it.” Vegeta said quickly, not wanting to give Vinum the chance to pick up their earlier conversation. He looked expectantly at Inthium, who was still smiling.

“Please follow me. It will be easier to concentrate somewhere quieter.”

Monshi waved to them, and off they went.

Vinum’s hands felt clammy, and he couldn’t quite swallow the lump in his throat. He shuddered as an unpleasant knot of worry settled in the pit of his stomach.

“Hey, are you okay?” The taller angel looked at him worriedly, “What’s wrong?”

“I’m fine,” he lied, pressing his lips into a grim line, “Let’s get moving.”

——

Soft leather shoes pattered down the damp prison hallway, splashing here and there where the perpetually dripping water had collected into stagnant puddles. Monsters growled and hissed from their cells as the angel passed them, his head held high, dark eyes flicking left and right with a disdainful glare. He was holding his quilted jewel-green robes to prevent them from trailing along the filthy floor. At last he came to a stop outside one of the cells.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Ayle! It’s been a while.” The demon sauntered towards him on the other side of the bars. He snorted a laugh suddenly, “What the hell happened to your face?”

“Shut up, Tarba.” The angel hissed back at him, turning his head slightly, trying and failing to hide the massive painful bruise around his left eye. “Do you have a message for me?”

“Oh, I don’t know…” the demon crooned as he draped himself on the bars dramatically. “The runes that they carved into these bars make my powers so weak.”

The angels eyes narrowed into an unamused glare.

“But if I had a little pick-me-up,” the demon continued, “I might be strong enough to remember.”

“Forget it then.” Ayle snapped, turning as if to leave.

“Can you really afford to walk away?” The demon taunted. A devious smile spread across his sharp features as the angel paused. “If you don’t do what Father wants, the deal is off.”

Ayle’s hands balled into fists, his jaw tight as he ground his teeth together. He cast a quick glance up and down the hallway to make sure there were no guards around, but he knew that the next patrol was due soon - he would need to be quick.

He cursed in Enochian as he rolled up one sleeve and took a small sharp dagger from the holster at his hip, slashing across his wrist with one swift motion.

Tarba’s pupils dilated as the thick sweet scent of the angel’s blood reached him. He clenched and unclenched his fists in anticipation as Ayle slowly, tentatively stuck his bleeding wrist between the cell bars. As soon as his hand passed the engraved metal the Demon lurched forward to grab it, pulling it towards him with vicious hunger.

Ayle swallowed a gasp as the demon sank its fangs into his flesh, gritting his teeth through the pain as it drank from him. He began to grow weak, his legs shaking beneath him.

“That’s enough.” The angel barked, trying to pull his arm free, but Tarba only clamped down harder. He threw a heavy punch with his other hand, lurching into the bars as the demon flew backwards, but it was forced to let go, and he quickly drew his arm back out of the cell.

“Bastard.” Tarba growled as he rubbed his head and pulled himself to his feet.

Ayle pulled his sleeve back down over the wound and dabbed at the sheen of sweat on his forehead. He would have to think of a clever lie to tell the hospital staff later. A black eye was easy to explain; bite marks, not so much.

He grimaced as the greedy demon licked the remnants of blood from its fangs. “You’re disgusting,” he sneered.

“Ah, don’t give me that shit.” The demon retorted as he flopped down lazily on the rickety bed, letting the blood-high wash over him. “Father has been extremely generous with you.”

“Just give me the message.” Ayle ordered, growing increasingly impatient.

“Our King wants to meet with you, immediately.” Tarba yawned and let his eyes drift shut. “Oh, and he wants the body that was brought in today.”

“What?” The angel struggled to keep his voice low. “How does he expect me to fetch a body from such a highly guarded place?”

“That’s your problem.” The demon said with a shrug, not even bothering to open his eyes.

——

“We’re home!” Monshi called out as he pushed through the door, wasting no time in starting to unbuckle his armoured chest plate.

Various maps and plans were pinned all around the walls. A great bay window took up most of one wall, and the dimming sunlight illuminated a long rounded table, with pictures, battle reports and other important looking documents scattered across its polished wooden surface.

Across the room, sat at the head of the table, a female angel turned to face them, her expression a mixture of surprise and relief. This was a meeting room, and it was getting late, but they knew they would find Voca in here.

“And what time do you call this?” She raised her eyebrows in a show of seriousness, but the smile that tugged at her lips gave her away.

Vinum chuckled as he walked over to his wife, pulling off his helmet and placing it on the table as he went. He stopped in front of her, her sly smile now a full beaming grin, and he leaned down to kiss her deeply. He pulled back and looked at her as if for the first time, endlessly amazed by her beauty.

Her shining violet eyes were like deep jewelled pools against her flawless pale blue skin. Her long white hair fell gracefully down her back, curling slightly at the tips. Her knee-length robe, fading from mint green to a pale grey trim, hugged her curvaceous figure perfectly, and her waist was accentuated by a striking red belt with a golden buckle in the middle, the symbol for ‘great’ engraved onto its surface.

“Ugh, man. Do you have to do that in front of me?” Monshi pulled a mock gag face.

“Well you don’t have to watch.” Voca quipped without looking at him.

Vinum cast his eyes down reverently, “Sorry we’re so late.”

“You should be! I was worried about you both.”

“Aww, you were worried about your big brother?” Monshi teased, “I’m flattered, Voca.”

He didn’t see her pouting as he lifted the heavy armour over his head and let it clatter to the floor, then tugged on the hem of his thin black undershirt to smooth it out.

“I had the pleasure of Ayle’s company this morning.” She told them, changing the topic of conversation.

Vinum gave a grunt of annoyance in response as he started to remove his own armour as well. He took off his arm guards and, unlike his messy brother-in-law, placed them on the table next to his helmet.

“Let me guess…” His voice was tinged with bitterness, “He came to tell you, for the millionth time, that marrying me was a mistake, and you can do much better?”

“Oh, naturally. That’s practically how he greets me these days.” Voca rolled her eyes. “Actually, he came to request to be put onto the battlefield.”

“What?” Monshi asked incredulously, “What did you say?”

“What do you think?” She said flatly.

Monshi relaxed, assured by her response. “Good,” he said simply, and he sat down on the floor to begin taking off his leg guards.

Vinum shook his head in disbelief, “For a trainee Seer, he sure has a thirst for battle.”

The other two murmured in agreement.

“Speaking of which,” Voca began as she fixed her husband with a disapproving look, “Were you the one who gave him the black eye?”

“He deserved it.” Vinum replied simply, not a hint of apology in his voice.

Monshi nodded in confirmation. “He did. He was being a royal prick.”

“It doesn’t matter if he deserved it or not!” Voca retorted, exasperation clear in her tone. “You know he just likes to get a rise out of you. You need to be the bigger man.”

“Tell that to him. He started it.” Vinum protested.

Monshi laughed, “And you sure finished it. With one punch! It was hilarious!”

“You’re the General.” Voca said levelly, trying to ignore Monshi’s childishness, “You need to think of the example you’re setting.”

Vinum sighed deeply. “Fine.”

“And you.” she whirled on Monshi, “You’re a bad influence.”

“Me?” Monshi looked wounded, “I’ll have you know that I stopped your dear husband from killing two mortals with God-level power today!”

“You--” She paused, unsure if she had heard her brother correctly, “You did what?”

Vinum sighed again. “It’s been a long day.”

——

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Name inspiration- 
> 
> Voca (Vocatus) - alcohol in Latin. 
> 
> (I’m a sucker for Latin)
> 
> Inthium - from absinthium 
> 
> Ayle - from ale. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! :)


	5. Unpleasant Premonitions

“Please, make yourselves at home.” Inthium said as she held the door open for her guests.

The sun had begun to graciously set behind the base as they reached the seer’s cramped living quarters. Warm, beautiful colours blazed brightly through the bare windows, bathing the room in stunning shades of red and purple.

The one-room living area looked simple enough. A large round table took up the most space, placed in the centre, with four mismatched chairs tucked neatly underneath. Along the back wall was a white stone-textured counter that held a humble kettle and some cups, alongside a makeshift sink. Pushed into the corner was a clearly unused single bed with piles of dusty books messily thrown on top.

Goku and Vegeta each took a chair as the angel busied herself with making some tea.

“You live here?” Goku asked, taking in the tiny space.

“Yes. Civilians, seers and medics live in this area. The soldiers and higher ranked officers live further along, closer to the wall.” She explained. “It is getting rather cramped, though. More and more arrive each day, seeking shelter. Servo is the safest place on this planet right now.”

She held out a mug of tea to Vegeta, and he took it from her with an appreciative nod. “We were told you’ve been fighting those demons for centuries.”

She nodded as she handed a mug to Goku. “This war has gone on for far too long. Everyone is exhausted. They may hide it well with those masks of indifference they’ve been taught to wear, but I see past them.” She sighed sadly.

Goku wrinkled his nose at the strange-smelling tea and lowered the mug. “I thought that angels weren’t supposed to fight?”

“We aren’t, usually. We are supposed to remain neutral, but… It’s a little different when it comes to demons.” 

“Why’s that?” Goku asked with a clueless expression.

“Umm…” Inthium paused and looked intently down at her own cup of tea. After a little while she raised her head again with a tentative smile, “Why don’t we begin? Please give me any information about where your planet may be.”

Vegeta’s eyebrows rose as he noted the sudden change in subject, but he decided not to push the issue. “All we can tell you is that we are from a planet called Earth, and we have absolutely no clue where we are now.”

She only nodded politely. “How did you get here?”

“By accident.” Goku said and laughed to himself, rubbing the back of his head. 

“By idiot.” Vegeta retorted under his breath.

“Hmm...” She stood up and walked over to the stone counter to rummage through one of its drawers. “Well, if you truly don’t know where you are or how to get home, the best thing I can do would be to read one of your minds.”

“Read our minds?” Vegeta questioned.

“I am able to access your memories.” She pulled out a thick leather strap. “Although it’s a little unpleasant, I’m afraid.” 

“Unpleasant how?” Goku eyed her nervously.

“It may be a tad painful. But nothing you can’t handle, I’m sure.” Inthium smiled.

“Read his - it’s his fault we’re here.” Vegeta spoke quickly. Warrior or not, he wasn’t keen to find out what ‘a tad painful’ meant for an angel.

She handed the leather strip to Goku when he didn’t protest. “I suggest you bite down on this, so you don’t bite your tongue or crack your teeth.”

Goku gulped as he reached out to take it from her. “Is there really no other way?”

She shook her head slightly with a shrug. “I’m afraid not.”

Goku took a deep breath before biting down on the leather and gripping the arms of the chair, readying himself. He nodded once, and she started to chant quietly in a language unknown to them.

Vegeta could feel her power growing, but it wasn’t intense and ferocious like fighting strength; it was a different kind of power. An increasing calm enveloped the air, along with a growing chill.

“Please try to relax.” She spoke just above a whisper, bringing her glowing hands up.

As she touched Goku’s temples with her hands, pain tore through him. His head throbbed with a sharp, piercing ache. He felt his body tense as he tried to restrain his warrior’s instinct to fight back. Every breath he took felt heavy, and then he couldn’t breathe at all. He tried hard to think of Earth, of home, but it was incredibly difficult to focus when it felt like he was drowning, his whole body paralysed.

Inthium let out a sharp gasp and flinched back away from him, stumbling into the table. The cups clinked and rattled, spilling tea and tumbling off the table to smash onto the floor.

Vegeta looked between them, Goku sitting slumped over, spitting out the strap and trying to catch his breath. The arms of the chair were completely crushed beneath his still-clenched fists.

The Angel was staring at him wide-eyed, mouth hanging slightly open, clutching onto the table as if it were the only thing keeping her anchored in reality. She seemed somehow even paler than before. The smashing cups, the trickling spilled tea, the drum of soldiers’ marching feet outside - it all melded into white noise as beads of sweat ran down her forehead, and she breathed in small gasping gulps as she tried to process what she had just seen.

Goku looked up at last. “Are you okay?” He asked, seeming to find his voice again.

“I-I’m fine.” She whispered, eyes still wide. “I’m fine.” She repeated, more to herself than the saiyans.

Finally breaking out of her trance, she forced herself to let go of the table. She knelt down and began to pick up the broken teacup shards with shaking hands.

“It’s just that I…” She seemed to lose focus again, her hands growing still, “I’ve never seen into the future before.”

Vegeta felt his stomach drop as what he’d thought was a ludicrous theory was confirmed by her words. “How much did you see?” He asked quietly.

She blinked into focus again, looking at Vegeta as she stood up. “Everything.” The saiyans said nothing as she walked over to carefully place the broken pottery on the countertop. “Much that I should not have seen. It is not wise to look so far ahead in time.”

“Ahead in time?” Goku repeated dumbly, “So we’re in the past?”

Inthium closed her eyes, trying to calm her thumping heart and swallow the lump in her throat. She had seen so much turmoil in his memories of the future, so much death and destruction. Tyrants, gods, angels - even Lord Zeno himself!

“Well that explains why Vinum doesn’t recognise us.” The younger saiyan mused.

“That’s exactly why I told you not to say anything stupid!” Vegeta growled, “But you had to go and mention Whis!”

“What?” Inthium spun around to face them, “What did you just say?”

“This idiot mentioned Whis to Vinum.” Vegeta answered with a frustrated grunt.

The Angel rubbed the bridge of her nose as she felt the signs of a stress headache beginning. She took a step towards them, “It is incredibly important that you do not mention anything about the future to anyone.” She fretted. “No one - mortal, god, or even angel - should know their future.”

The saiyans remained silent, avoiding her gaze.

She did not like their silence one bit. “Please tell me you haven’t!” She questioned, her voice raising a couple of octaves.

“We may have called Vinum ‘Grand Priest’ when we first saw him.” Goku admitted.

“Oh god!” she cried out, covering her face with her hands.

“That was before we had any idea that things were weird. But it’s okay!” He said, trying both to calm her down and absolve themselves a little, “They didn’t believe us, they thought it was some kind of joke.”

“Now we’re faced with a very complex problem.” She told them, rubbing the bridge of her nose again.

“How so?” Vegeta asked and folded his arms, feeling a pang of anxiousness.

She took a deep breath, then spoke slowly. “Because the only angels with enough power to return you to the future would be the Grand Priestess, or General Vinum, or maybe Colonel Monshi.”

The saiyans said nothing, so she continued.

“Knowing that you are from the future wouldn’t generally be such a problem, except that you have told General Vinum of his future.”

“Is that really so bad?” Vegeta asked. “Isn’t being the Priest to Zeno a good thing?”

“No! Well, yes, usually. But not in this situation.” She ran her hands through her hair in frustration as she thought of how to explain. “You do not retire from being a Grand Priest or Priestess. You can’t just step down, that isn’t how such a role works. There is only one way you stop being the Priest of Zeno.”

Goku looked confused, but there was clearly something that she did not want to say.

“Death.” Vegeta said darkly, and she nodded.

“The Grand Priestess, Vocatus… She is Vinum’s wife.” Her expression was anguished. “Tell me, how would you feel if you were told your loved one was going to die?”

The severity of the situation was becoming clear to the men now.

“Then… Can’t we just tell the Grand Priestess and have her send us back, leave Vinum out of it?” Vegeta asked, although he was certain she would have suggested that already if it were that simple.

She shook her head. “You come from a time millions of years into the future. At least two powerful angels would be needed to send you back. And trust me when I say that telling any combination of those three would result in disaster.”

The saiyans were quiet again, at a loss for other ideas. Inthium paced the floor, thinking to herself and trying to ignore the feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach.

“Unfortunately, the longer you are here, the more unstable things will become.” She sighed. There was no helping it; this problem was far beyond her. “We must go and tell the Grand Priestess.”

——

The nurse looked up from behind her station in the hospital at scattered cries of indignance and distress. She frowned as a robed angel pushed his way through the crowd of people who had been patiently awaiting their turns to be seen.

“I’m sorry, Sir,” she said loudly as he drew near, “Angel or not, everyone has to wait--”

“Shut up.” Ayle ordered, cutting her off. “I don’t have time for your drivel. Where is Doctor Caldi?”

Her lips drew into a thin line as she tried to force herself to remain pleasant. “Doctor Caldi is in his office, but I’m afraid he is incredibly busy. You’ll have to...” She trailed off as he completely ignored her and started to walk off in the direction of the Doctor’s office before she could finish speaking.

Ayle rapped once on the dark wooden door before he entered the room. It was only a temporary office, and medical supplies had been pushed aside to make way for a large solid oak desk.

The alien looked up from his paperwork, his expression thoroughly unimpressed. His pink skin looked paler than usual, and his eyes were accentuated by heavy bags, his white coat dirty and caked here and there with dried blood.

“Can’t you see I’m busy?” He grumbled, frowning at the angel, but Ayle only stared back at him expectantly, so he set down his pen between his seemingly endless mountains of paperwork. “What do you want?”

Ayle arched an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t be so rude if I were you. Try again.”

The alien squared his jaw. “How can I help you?” he ground out through gritted teeth.

“Better.” Ayle said with a smug chuckle, and he settled into the chair opposite him, “The time has come for you to repay the debt that you owe me.”

The alien gawked at him incredulously, “You must be joking. You’ve seen how many people need our help! The hospital is full of the injured, sick, and dying - not to mention the bodies that have just been brought in! Can’t this wait?”

Ayle shot to his feet, slamming his hands on the desk and causing the doctor to flinch back. “Can it wait?” He snarled. “Did I wait when you were about to be executed as a spy?”

The doctor avoided his gaze, wishing he could take back what he had said, but the damage was done. 

“If I hadn’t managed to convince them you could be useful as a doctor, you’d be dead now.”

The doctor scowled at him indignantly, “I was only caught because I took the fall for you! I repaid my debt when I refused to rat you out!”

“And I could have let them kill you, but I saved you. You owe me.” Ayle persisted.

The pair of them stared at each other for some time, but Doctor Caldi’s resolve was already wavering. The angel knew that he had him.

“What do you want?” The doctor asked, his voice hushed and weary.

“The body of the angel that came in today.” He answered immediately, “I want you to make it look like it didn’t.”

The doctor frowned, “What? Why?”

“Can you do it or not?” Ayle’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Well, I… I haven’t sent the letters yet. I suppose I could change the status to MIA, but why would...” The doctor’s thoughts raced, torn between answering the question and wondering why it was even being asked. Realisation dawned on him suddenly, “You want to give the body to them.”

“You catch on quickly.” Ayle raised his eyebrows in mock approval, “You have the authority to teleport bodies home, correct? I’ll need you to send it somewhere else for me.”

The doctor stood suddenly, “I won’t do it. I’m not proud of the things I did to help you with your twisted plans. I’m a different person now.” He steeled his courage as the angel glared back at him and continued. “I swore to myself that I would repent for those sins with this work. It’s taken me ten years to regain the trust that I lost, and I won’t make that mistake again. I won’t help you do this.”

Ayle grimaced. He had hoped not to have to exert effort again so soon, but there was no avoiding it. He yanked the doctor forward by the collar of his coat to throw him off balance, then pushed him backwards, sending him stumbling into the hospital bed that was pushed against the wall. Before he could recover the angel was on him, pinning him down with his hands around his throat. He gasped as Ayle squeezed tightly.

“You’ve built up quite a cushy life here, haven’t you? Gotten married, had a couple of children, even.” Ayle hissed as the doctor clawed at his hands, struggling to breathe. “If you don’t help me, I will see to it that they suffer for your failure.”

Caldi drew in a gasping breath as Ayle suddenly let go. He doubled over on the bed, coughing and holding his hands to his aching throat.

“Do we have an understanding?” Ayle bit out, his words laced with intent.

Cured of his courageousness, the doctor nodded weakly. “Yes.” He croaked hoarsely as he picked himself up and made his way back to the desk. He rummaged through the papers, then picked out a folded letter and ripped it into pieces.

“Good. Well then, lead the way, Doctor.” Ayle said, flashing him a nasty grin as he held the office door open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you so much for all your reviews so far! I really appreciate them :)
> 
> Spoiler: Vinum does indeed not take the news well.


	6. Devastation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arguments, betrayal and heartbreak! Oh my!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick strong language warning for this chapter.
> 
> Also spoilers if you haven’t read the Dragon Ball Super manga as this chapter does mention Merus.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

“I see, It’s such shame that they wont join us.” Voca sighed, resting her chin on her palm.

Monshi and Vinum had made a silent agreement not to mention the comment that the two mortals had made when he took off his helmet, because that’s all it was, an off handed comment that surely meant nothing. A simple mistake that anyone could make, or so they told themselves.

“I cant say I blame them either though, wanting to get away from this.” She continued. “I do miss home dearly.”

“I still think you should be home, recovering.” Monshi mumbled offhandedly.

“Please don’t start this again.” Voca begged her brother.

“Why can’t you understand? You had a baby a few weeks ago. You should be home looking after Merus!” Monshi argued.

“I’ll tell you the same thing I have told you both time and time again. My place is here, I’m not here because I want to be. I would love to go home to my baby, but unfortunately, I’m currently in charge of an all universe war. ” She fought, frustration clear in her voice.

“We would be fine, we could hold the fort while you get your strength back.” Monshi stood abruptly. “Aren’t you going to back me up here?” He pointed a look at Vinum who was staying silent, leant against the wall 

“We have already had this argument countless times, nothing I can say will convince her.” Vinum shrugged, of course he agreed with Monshi but he hated arguing with his wife. They had fought a lot recently about this and he wanted to stay out of it.

“And what if the demons find Servo and invade whilst I’m away ‘resting’ did you think of that? All those lives lost all those injured would be on me!” Voca countered, raising her voice.

“So you think we aren’t good enough to lead, is that it?”

“That’s not what I’m saying.”

“Then what are you saying?” He demanded, furiously.

“I’m telling you I’m staying. Until this war is over, until Arcus is dead or thrown back through that demon door. My place is here.”

“Fine.” Monshi picked up his armour roughly from the floor with a clatter. “Do what you want.” He growled, stomping out the room. 

The Grand Priestess lowered her head into her hands, letting out an exasperated breath as the door clattered shut and his footsteps faded into the distance.

Vinum pushed himself from his spot against the wall and walked slowly over to his wife, wrapping his arms around her from behind, pulling her into a hug. Voca leaned back in her seat resting her head against his chest.

“He just worries about you, we both do.” He spoke softly. 

“I know.” She closed her eyes, allowing herself to enjoy the peace and his warm embrace for a moment. “You know I would be home if I had a choice, I miss Merus and all our children dearly.”

“Me to.” Vinum agreed, kissing her on the forehead.

She laughed alittle, “It’s a shame nobody gets to see this softer side of you.”

“Mhm,” He hummed, resting his head on her shoulder. “This is only for you.”

“You can go rest if you like? I know its been a rough couple of days.” She spoke quietly.

“Just being here with you is enough.”

She absentmindedly stroked his arms in thought. “We don’t get to spend much time together these days, do we?”

“Someone always needs one of us for some reason or another.” Vinum grumbled against her shoulder.

“Just think of the day this is over. That bastard has been thrown back into hell and we finally have peace again. We can return home together.” She beamed at her husband.

“The thought of that is the only thing gives me the strength to fight everyday.”

—————

Ayle huffed as he heaved the body behind him, dragging it through the rubble and debris of the long abandoned ruins of a destroyed city. He looked over his shoulder in paranoia. Even though he was miles away from Servo, he couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that washed over him while walking through these quiet streets.  
The body snagged on a crumbling wall causing Ayle to stumble and fall backwards. He growled in frustration as he rose, dusting himself off. He cursed the Doctor internally, trust him to teleport him miles away from the meeting spot. He truly could trust nobody but himself.

Carrying the body would have been a lot easier and quicker, but that took a considerable amount of body strength he didn’t possess…yet. As he flipped the body off the pointed rocks, he repeated in his mind like a mantra that this would all be worth it, that once the experiments where completed, he would become stronger than all those bastards he hated so much. He would finally get revenge on those who crushed his dreams and stole the only one he ever cared for. 

The sun had well and truly set, eclipsing the city in midnight gloom. The moon above shone feebly down through wispy clouds, doing nothing the relieve his anxiety as the shadows of the hollow structures surrounded him, ambushing him in darkness.

Quiet whispers and jeers circled him. Catching the briefest flash of blazing red eyes in the distance before they darted away with frightening speed, back into the shadows. 

He steeled himself, squaring his jaw and lifting his chest. He continued pulling the lifeless body through dust and dirt. He would not be intimidated by these creatures, he would not be labelled weak by these monsters like he had been by his angel brethren.

“Aww, Is the choir boy losing his nerve?” A silky voice taunted him from the darkness ahead. 

A female demon walked out from the shadows. Her pale face and dark crimson eyes flashed as she looked the angel up and down. Thin white horns poked through her forehead twisting back into her long black hair. Her tail swung behind her merrily.

“Kadava” Ayle gasped out breathlessly.

The sight of the Knight caused his previous courage to diminish immediately. Abandoning the body, he stepped back, sweat dripping down his forehead. His retreat was halted however as he hit, what he thought to be a stone wall. Turning he saw that he had backed up into the chest of another large built demon. Large red horns spiked up over his bald head and curved behind his ears. 

“Ayle- so nice to see you again.” The large demon smiled exposing his pointed fangs.

“Proto” Ayle choked as the demon grabbed his arms roughly, locking him in place.

A panicked squeak escaped his throat as the female Knighg pushed up against the him. She snaked one arm around his neck, and lightly traced the halo with her sharp claws.

Ayle swallowed hard, one slip of those claws through his halo and he would be dead. 

He mentally scolded himself for how stupid he had been. Of course the Knights were here. The whole city around him was most likely swarming with demons. It’s not often the King leaves the refuge of his underground stronghold.

“My, my, have we been in trouble?” She stroked her thumb over the angels blackened eye, dragging her claws over his skin.

“I wonder who you pissed off this time.” Proto barked out a loud laugh.

“Fuck off, mind your own business” Ayle bit out through clenched teeth.

“Ohh, This angel has a little bite to him.” The large demon taunted.

“I do like my prey with some fight in them.” Kadava sliced the collar of his robe, exposing the angels neck. “Let’s see how you taste.”

“Ive come to meet your King, you cant hurt me.”

“Well father isn’t here, is he?” The large male demon grabbed his robe and ripped, exposing Ayles shoulder.

“Don’t you dare touch me, you absolute filth.” The angel snapped.

“Now, where’s that sweet heavenly charm?” Kadava pouted.

“Yeah- No wonder you couldn’t get in the pants of that Grand Priestess you like so much.” Proto smirked

“SHUT UP, its not like that…”

“How she choose that General of yours over you. Now that must sting!” Kadava tormented further, feeding off the angels pained expression.

“QUIET.” Ayle roared. “Shut your fucking mouth.”

“Oh, Kadava I think you hit a nerve there.” Proto cackled 

“Don’t talk about shit you have no idea about!”

“But that’s where you’re wrong. Father told us all about you. How you pine for someone who has never loved you back. How pathetic!” The large demon snorted. 

“Does it make your skin crawl?” Kadava pulled the angel close and whispered into his ear. “When you think of them together at night?”

Ayle snarled viciously as jealous fury grew within him.

“Oh, very scary.” She giggled, rolling her eyes. 

“Kadava, Proto- stop torturing the poor angel.” A deep commanding voice spoke out calmly from the shadows. 

The demons demeanour changed immediately. They turned and fell to one knee, bowing their heads in the direction of the voice.

—————

Inthium lifted her hand to knock on the office door, for a moment she thought about just turning and walking away. Forgetting this ever happened. Just going back to her every day life. Going back to help normal people with small problems and not two saiyans from the future. She sighed deeply, trying to quell the anxiety stirring in her chest. Unfortunately they must be told, the longer the men are here the more unstable time would become. She now knew why there had been so many warnings during her training. Caution about how dangerous looking into the future was, how maddening it could be. 

Before she could knock, the door was opened for her. The Grand Priestess raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Inthium! I didn’t expect to see you here so late, we where just on our way out.”

“I’m sorry, Grand Priestess, but this could not wait.”

“Of course, please come in.” Voca held the door open and gestured her into the meeting room.

Vinum gave a nod of greeting as she entered the room. He was holding his armour, half sat on the table behind the Grand Priestess. 

Inthium stood in the centre of the room awkwardly, keeping her eyes trained on the ground. She couldn’t bare look at them, not with the news she was about to deliver. 

“I’m surprised you’re alone, did you manage to find temporary lodging for Goku and Vegeta?” Vinum asked.

She wrung her hands nervously. “Yes, there was a spare double room in the cadet wing. I’m here about them, actually.” She had decided to let the men go rest. It would be better for her to handle such a delicate situation alone. She couldn’t risk them accidentally blurting out anymore life changing information. 

“Ah yes, Ive heard quite the tale about the mortals that came here today. I would like to meet them myself.” Voca nodded with interest. 

“What about them?” Vinum questioned sharply, shifting in place with unease.

“Well, its about the task you gave me about getting them home, b-but- you see, I cant- its complicated.” Inthium babbled, trying to get her words out as best she could.

The Grand Priestess put a reassuring hand on the seer’s shoulders, a serious expression spreading across her face. “Inthium, take a breath. What’s wrong? You’re worrying us.”

Inthium squeezed her eyes shut. “They’re from the future, Millions of years from now..”

A heavy, thick, uncomfortable, silence filled the room. The seer was sure she could hear her own heartbeat.

“These two just get more and more interesting by the second don’t they?” Voca mused in amazement. 

She felt her nerves ease, as she opened her eyes and found the Priestess smiling calmly down at her. She didn’t seem worried or upset. Vinum and Monshi hadn’t told her about what Goku had said. She found herself internally thanking her luck, until she caught sight of the General. 

His face seemed his normal neutral for a brief second, before his eyes widened and his chest tightened as realisation dawned on him. His face twisted in that of absolute horror. His eyes met Inthium’s but he wasn’t looking at her, he seemed to look through her. His gaze and mind a million miles away. He opened his mouth but found no words or voice to speak. His fists where clenched so hard his knuckles where white, trembling slightly.

Inthium was praying to any God that would listen that the Grand Priestess wouldn’t turn around now and see her husband in the state he was currently in. Surly if she turned and saw him like this she would have questions that neither would want to answer.

Voca tapped her chin in thought. “A couple million years might be an issue. From what I know, it will take a huge amount of power to preform that spell. Power that I just don’t have right now, not with keeping the shield up around the city.” 

“Is there any way that I could assist you? Them being here too long could be extremely dangerous.” Inthium fidgeted on the spot, trying to he helpful but wanting desperately to leave the room and escape Vinums intense gaze.

“I understand the dangers of them being here. I will look into it tonight, I haven’t preformed this particular spell before. I will do some research and let you know.” 

The seer nodded , bowing her head. “Please come find me if you find anything. if I may Grand Priestess, I shall take my leave.”

“Thank you for letting us know. We will get this problem under control, I promise, so please try not to worry.”

After saying her goodbye , she briskly left the room, racing through the twisting corridors and throwing herself through the exit, taking a deep gasping breath she hadn’t realised she was holding. 

That went about as well as she had imagined, apart from the Priestess not being aware of her fate. Vinum and Monshi had been smart not to tell her, but she wasn’t sure for how long. Voca could read them both like a book.

The exit door behind her suddenly clicked before it was slammed open, causing her to flinch.

“WAIT-“ Vinum panted.

Inthium considered breaking out into a full on sprint away from this terrible situation, but knew better than to ignore a direct order from a superior officer. She kept her back to him as he approached. 

“Are you sure?” His voice pierced her, hoarse and gravely

“Yes.” She whispered.

“What they said-What they called me-it cant be-I’m not” He spoke fast, putting a hand through his hair.

“His memory was clear. You are the future Grand Priest.”

“Your wrong.” He snapped, grabbing her arm to turn her to face him, swallowing at the sight of her tear filled eyes.

Vinum shook his head “ They must have lied. Fed you false memories-“

“Sir,” Inthium interrupted him. “I’m sorry, but you know as well as I do, that is impossible.”

Everything around them stood still as time ticked by and she watched as her words finally started to sink in. She watched as his eyes started to shine with tears. She felt her own fall as someone she had known for years, someone who had never shown an ounce of pain or fear, was now on the verge of breaking apart. 

“When?” His voice shook “Does it happen here?”

Inthium looked to the floor, her vision now burry from tears.

“I’m so sorry...“

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I’m not writing you can find me on tumblr if you ever want to pop on and say hi :) my user name is (supernaturalandthings)


	7. Stages Of Grief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vinum doesn’t handle the news well.

Twilight blanketed the sleeping city. Hustle and bustle of the hectic streets now completely silent and vacant. Civilians peacefully slept in their small quarters and training soldiers had retired until dawn. 

Vinum’s thunderous footsteps completely tore through the calm lull of night as he stormed towards the cadets wing. He furiously grit his teeth feeling anger billowed inside. He felt his steps getting faster as his rage swelled. 

He could not-no, would not accept what Inthium had told him. Yes, up until now it was thought to be impossible to trick a seer, especially one as strong as her, but it was also thought impossible for a mortal to have the power of a god. If they had amount of strength hiding within them, Vinum had no doubt they where able to trick Inthium. That had to be it. There was no way what she had seen was truth. There was no way Voca could-.

He shook his head and swallowed the lump in his throat. He would not be caught up in this obvious ruse. Surely they were spies sent in by Arcus to crush morale and break their spirit. The Demon King himself was the only creature so cruel as to plan something this vile. 

They might have deceived the others, but they didn’t fool him. He would go beat the truth out of them if he needed to.

———————

Monshi sighed as he stepped away from the seer’s door. No answer… maybe she had gone back to the hospital after she had helped Goku and Vegeta. 

He started down the pathway walking in no particular direction. He really could have used the comfort of his girlfriend right now after the argument he had with his sister. He kicked a small bit of rubble in his path. He felt frustrated and worried but most of all he felt guilt. He knows its not exactly her first choice being here. She’s trying the save billions of lives. It must pain her so much to be away from her baby. Maybe he shouldn’t have been so hard on her, but being her big brother- its his job to keep her safe. 

He found himself walking past the cadets wing , two familiar figures caught his attention at the entrance. Goku was sat on the ground, his back against the barracks, watching as Vegeta huffed through sit ups. 

“Hey!” Monshi called out as he started towards them.

“Yo!” Goku tiredly greeted the angel.

Vegeta stopped as Monshi approached, his body now tense with anticipation. Had he heard the news? 

“Did Inthium not manage to find you anywhere to stay?”

“She did, but we couldn’t sleep.” Vegeta shrugged.

It was obvious to anyone looking at them that both men were tired to the bone. But the truth was none of them could sleep. Not only worries of how they would get home but how one wrong move or word could destroy time as they know it. It was impossible to sleep with Whis’s warning repeating over and over in their heads. 

“I’m way too hungry to sleep.” Goku grumbled over his growling stomach.

Monshi chuckled “Ah, looks like you might be out of luck for now I’m afraid. The mess hall opens in a couple of hours though, you’ll be able to eat as much as you want there.”

“Really?!” Goku grinned a wide smile. 

Vegeta looked at the angel sceptically, he didn’t seem to be acting any different. He still had a lazy smile on his face as he chatted to the younger saiyan.

“What’s that look for?” Monshi rose an eyebrow at the prince. 

“You seem awfully cheery, considering...” Vegeta stopped himself at the puzzled look of the angel. 

He obviously didn’t know yet, he may have just made a vital mistake. 

“Considering what?” The angel questioned suspiciously 

“I thought Inthium was on her way to tell you-“

“Shut up Kakaorot.” Vegeta hissed.

If he indeed had not heard about the future fate of his sister, this was no way to find out.

“What aren’t you telling me?” Monshi straightened his back, his cheery demeanour shifted suddenly. His voice how now low and demanding.

It shocked the prince just how quickly Monshi turned from friendly angel to intimidating colonel in a matter of seconds. 

Before Goku or Vegeta could reply, both men where thrown against the wall behind by an unseen force, an aura of emerald green glowing around them. Both saiyans gasped as the force tightened around them. Crushing intensity pressing them against the building behind.

“Here you are!” Vinum snarled furiously as he held his glowing hands up, keeping them pinned to the wall.

“What the hell?!” Monshi span on the spot. 

The look of his friend shook something inside him. He looked outright dangerous. He had never seen Vinum with such a fierce expression sharpening his features. However it was something behind his eyes that sent and unpleasant shiver down his spine, he looked desperate. 

“Vinum what are you doing?! Stop!” Monshi implored.

“You think I don’t see through your lies!” Vinum spat, his eyes starting to glow faintly. 

“Lies?” The taller angel asked, utterly confused, looking between them.

“Turns out god level power wasn’t all they’re hiding. Somehow they managed to trick Inthium. I’m here for the truth”

“Trick Inthium? How?”

“She looked into their minds. They fed her false memories.” Vinum stated. 

“Vinum.” Monshi started hesitantly. “That’s impossib-.”

“SHUT UP.” Vinum voice cracked as he shouted. “Just… shut up Monshi.”

“It-Its not-“ Vegeta struggled to speak against the force pressing against his chest.

“We’re-not lying.” Goku hacked out.

“Wrong answer!” Vinum growled, clenching his fists.

The green aura around them grew, Goku and Vegeta cried in pain as the wall behind them cracked from pressure.

“STOP.” Monshi ordered, grabbing hold of Vinum’s wrist.

Vinum glared up at his best friend and was met with a serious expression. Vinum grunted, pulled his fist out of Monshi’s grasp, letting Goku and Vegeta fall to the ground.

“Tell me whats going on.” Monshi demanded.

“Inthium showed up a couple minutes after you left.” Vinum’s jaw tightened. 

“And?”

The general stayed silent, looking anywhere but his taller partner. 

“What was the news Vinum?” Monshi asked, not entirely sure he really wanted to know the answer. 

“That we are from the future. The far, far future.” Vegeta cut in.

He knew it wasn’t his place to tell him but he sensed hostility in the air. If someone hadn’t told the colonel soon, he feared things would get far worse. 

Monshi snapped his head towards the saiyan, his eyebrows furrowed, before realisation dawned on him. He face fell and his skin paled as he stepped back.

“That means when you called him Grand Priest, that’s because…”

“Because he is. From where we come from, or more like when we come from.” Goku explained quietly. 

“LIES!” Vinum barked sharply. “Tell me you’re lying.” His voice grew quieter, wavering. “Please.” His last word escaped his lips as a desperate prayer. 

“I’m sorry.” Goku apologised, holding the smaller angel’s stare. 

Vinum broke. He felt all his energy leave his body and his legs buckled beneath him. He hit the ground hard, catching himself on his knees. 

“GOD-DAMMIT.” He roared, punching the ground so hard it shook the earth below them. 

“Goku, Vegeta.” Monshi spoke quietly, keeping his back to the men. “Can you excuse us please?”

It was obvious that the colonel was trying to stay polite, in asking them to leave. Trying to keep face with a falsely calm poise. However his clenched fist and shaking form where a true giveaway.

The prince nodded, more than understanding of how they wanted no witnesses to a rare venerable moment between the pair. Being leading officers of a entire army, a strong front and stoic face where a must, the ability to bear the hefty weight of the guilt and sorrow for every life lost on your watch. Some things where just too much a burden to bear, knowing a member of your family is going to be a casualty of this war and not being able to do anything would be too much for anyone, divine or otherwise. 

“Come on.” Vegeta whispered as he passed his rival, heading into the building towards their quarters. 

Showing emotion shows weakness that enemies feed off, use against you. That was one of Vinum’s most important teachings to new soldiers. Right now- he felt like a hypocrite as a single tear streaked down his face. He had never cried before- through merciless brutal training, from the hundreds of lost lives that he blamed himself for, he buried it deep within himself and moved forward… but he couldn’t bury this. 

For the first time in his long life he felt utterly powerless.

Monshi knelt down in front of Vinum, placing both hands on his shoulders firmly. “Look at me.”

Vinum reluctantly rose his head to meet Monshi eyes. The taller angels where red as they shone with unshed tears. 

“We cant let this happen.” His voice was firm and determined.

Vinum looked at him incredulously. “Have you not been listening? We cant stop it. Its already happened.”

“We fight everyday, overcome impossible odds together and survive battles that some believe are suicide. If we can beat those odds, who says we cant change the future?!” Monshi’s hands tightened on Vinum’s shoulders. 

“And what about the hundreds of warnings about the ‘cataclysmic disaster’ that could come from changing time?” The smaller angel shook his head. 

“We live in a dangerous world. Since when will ‘cataclysmic disaster’ be different from any other day? I know we can stop this. The Vinum I know wouldn’t give up this easy.”

After a few moments of thick silence, Vinum looked up, new resolve shining in his eyes. “You’re right. We wont let this happen.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed :)


End file.
